Insulted Prey: Ghostly Vengeance
by Attack on MLG
Summary: Grieving is worse than the loss itself. You start hallucinating, hearing and seeing their bruised and bloodied soul haunt you wherever they see the opportunity. People start jumping to conclusions, calling you insane, when all you want to do is reunite with the departed… even if you were the reason for their death. The death that they wished for. /'INSULTED PREY' sequel\ ON HIATUS
1. Through the flames

_**Prologue. Kai POV.**_

I could feel his presence as I stared up at the ceiling, the air cold and thin as I blinked silently.

I was contemplating on what Jay and Nya had just announced to us a few hours earlier, about the genie-guy who trapped us all and nearly took over Ninjago with his Sky Pirates or whatever. Apparently I was one of the first to go. I wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not, but I was glad they had fixed things up for good. This got me thinking about the wishes; I didn't like the guilt that lay at the pit of my stomach, but it stayed there for a very long time.

I could've wished for anything I wanted! We all could've!

I could've wished for _him_.

I sighed and shifted my weight slightly, feeling the Bounty rock peacefully on the ocean's surface. Nya had said we were heading to Chen's to meet up with everyone else who wanted an explanation to the rumours, which was quite nice seeing as I hadn't seen Skylar in a while. Hopefully she was still as caring and sympathetic as she was before. Then again, she was extremely shocked at the news of another lost team member.

My brows narrowed slightly as the light buzzed quiet and flickered on and off for a moment, before returning back to normal; Jay really needed to check that out at some time.

The grieving was hard. I hadn't realised he was cold, unmoving, lifeless until Jay's distressed screams and sobs woke me up. It was awful watching him collapse on the floor, his best friend's bruised and bloodied corpse cradled in his shaking arms as everyone else flooded in the small room. Zane and I gladly owned up to our crimes in the next month, but, because we were ninja, they only gave us a stern lecture about assult and rape. I was disgusted; you can't just let a guilty rapist, who had taken full responsibility for the assualts, back out onto the streets because of his status in society. Heck, I was willing to pay for my sins and show Cole's soul some redemption and respect, even if he was no longer with us.

But, _of course_ , Zane was instantly let off the hook, because of 'complications in his programming and wiring' — what a load of bullcrap. Thankfully, though, Pixal was jammed back into his system, to keep check on his behaviour and mental functionality forever more. I guess it was lucky that we weren't charged, seeing as Morro showed up a month later and Lloyd nearly died. So that was fun!

Jay had gotten annoyed with everything because he wanted to see Cole's ghost and see his friend again, but fortunately Cole hadn't been sent to the Cursed Realm, which was assuring due to Nya and her tsunami-of-a-full-potential. Cole would've loved to witness that amazing moment, he really would've.

Lloyd had considered getting a Spirit Board, to try and contact the late Earth Master, but Sensei was having none of it because apparently they were "dangerous". We had literally fought an entire army of ghosts and an entire Realm! Nya could just shoot them up with water if they got harmful; it was logic.

I suddenly straightened my posture as I sat up in my bed, the loud bang sound perking my senses. Irritably I shuffled off the bed and wandered over to the desk in the far corner of my room, grunting as I noticed what had fallen off its place. The spiked collar stared back at me as I slowly picked it up, careful not to damage it even more. Smiling softly, it was layed back down on the right side of the desk, next to my portable speaker and earphones, letting the untouched silver spikes glint soothingly in the dim light of my bedroom.

"Very funny, Cole." I muttered to myself, knowing that he couldn't hear me, my words simply signs of a wasted breath. Sighing once more, I pivoted calmly on my heel and turned to the door, meeting the intruder's level gaze and sympathetic frown. Nya tilted her head slightly as she entered the room, furrowing her brow with minor distress.

She spoke slowly to me, pursing her lips worriedly as her smooth hand caressed my cheek comfortingly. "Oh Kai… You need to stop this… Cole is gone, and he is never coming back, okay? You can't keep pretending like he is still alive… Its not good for your health~"

I chewed my lip in slight anger, wanting to prove her wrong. "You don't understand, Nya-"

"I do, Kai. I really do, trust me on that. But you need to realise that, although you may _think_ that Cole is still with us, here, in this room, you _are_ wrong." She was beginning to sound desperate, as if I was going insane or something. "You are so, _so_ wrong! And if he were here, with us now, in this room, listening to our conversation, then he would at least give us some sort of sign of his presence-"

The lightbulb shattered.

The room pitch black.


	2. Cry me a river

"It was Cole that broke the light-"

"It was faulty, Kai. I'll sort it out when we get back." Jay insisted grumpily, shoving past his brother and into the restaurant. The main hall was practically empty, the only people being those seated at the same table Lloyd, Kai, Jay and Cole had sat when meeting up after Zane's death. Skylar and Ronin grinned at the visitors as they shuffled over and into the nearby seats, exchanging a quiet round of handshakes and reluctant greetings. Once everyone was comfortable, Ronin coughed lightly into his fist, making stern eye contact with the Lightning Master.

"So, about your, uh, lost friend…" He pursed his lips dryly. "I didn't really get to meet him for very long, but I assume that he was kind and all, even though in all the photos he looks quite tough-"

The Green Ninja groaned loudly, running his hands through his hair irritably. "Can we leave Cole out of this, please Ronin?" He asked harshly, narrowing his gaze. "Skylar can just read our minds and know what happened to him, seeing as you're _that_ curious. Jay and Nya are here to tell you what happened with Nadakahn, not the departed. It's a sensitive issue that we are all dealing with," He glanced over at Kai, who was focused on Skylar as she stared back at him, both of them ignoring the current conversation. "And if you want answers you're going to have to wait until the end. Is that clear?"

Ronin simply smirked cockily back at the blond, before laughing lowly and straightening his posture. "You're really snappy, aren't you Green Machine? Let me guess, you're gonna do a 'Zane' and look for new members?" The said Nindroid raised an eyebrow in confusion, unsure whether to question the sharp comment. Nya sighed to herself miserably, annoyed by how childish the two were acting. At least they weren't having a lovey-dovey moment like her brother, though. Skylar purposely bit her lip as Kai winked cheekily back at her, both of them lost in the depths of each other's twinkling eyes. Despite how sweet and cliché the scene was, the Water Master felt that it was right to intervene.

"Kai." She hissed stubbornly into his ear, irritated by how he didn't move a muscle. "Kai, you're gay."

"Bisexual, dumbass." He muttered under his breath calmly, leaning smoothly into his palm. Nya growled angrily and was tempted to throw her arms in the air at how casual Kai was being; it wasn't normal, especially when the others were reluctantly discussing Cole's departure from the world. She didn't know whether it was her instinct or her hormones that got her suddenly so pissed off, but something randomly ticked her last, very, very thin nerve.

Quietly she fought the urge to rip out her hair there and then, deciding that clenching her fists firmly by her sides would be a more practical option. "If you children will excuse me, I'm going to go and question my life decisions in the ladies bathroom." And with that the female Ninja stiffly removed herself from her seat and stormed across the hall and into the specific room, gladly slamming the door behind her.

"Bet you its her period." Skylar stated loudly, amused by the horrified expressions on the boys' faces. She suddenly let out a contagious laugh and held her chest dramatically. "Oh you lads crack me up! I'm joking alright?!"

* * *

Once my hands were washed for the fifth time in a row, I finally felt that the disgusting attitude of my friends had been diminished successfully. I braced my hands on the counter on either side of the sink, my fingers drumming on the damp tile as I tried to think. We came here to talk about my death, not Cole's. I was saved, so it would be a more lighthearted topic, possibly.

I hated this feeling.

That sickening feeling of frustration mixed with hopelessness? Yeah. When you plan something so perfect that nothing can ruin it, and then the opposite just happens right before your eyes. I never got this stressed, even in moments of danger and vulnerability. This unexplainable grudge against bringing up the dead… it doesn't sound right. Casually chatting with your friends about someone who is now not with you? Laugh it off and then cry yourself to sleep when you return home.

I stared at myself hopelessly in the mirror, ignoring the small smudge of my mascara as a tear fell silently. I guess I was just emotional. But then I guess that Cole was ten times worse than me for every second until his last breath.

 _You need to save me, Nya! I don't like it here and I just want to leave!_

I pursed my lips dryly as his terrified begs for mercy rang through my mind, as if he were still with me. I hated seeing him weak. He acted as if it were illegal to show his weakness and fearful side, because apparently the Master of Earth was as solid as rock and didn't need emotion when it came to battle. Sure, physical battle against villains… but what about mental battles? An ongoing conflict on how, when, where and why to try and kill yourself, just to feel freedom and acceptance. I had offered to take him out for a late night walk once, when we all thought that he was recovering smoothly, but he claimed that he didn't want to lose the "crumbs of dignity and pride" he barely kept, worried that he would be attacked again.

It crushed my heart to think that I was the only one he would be open to most, and yet not trust me enough to protect him if the worst did happen.

 _Thank you, Nya… Thank you so, so much for cheering me up and trying to help me…_

I sniffed pathetically and rubbed my eyes, not bothering to fix my makeup, before coughing hastily into my shaking fist. "D-Don't mention it…"


	3. Lyrics to break an icy heart

Guilt was a strange feeling. It just kind of randomly appears, taking over your brain and mind with self doubt and hatred, even if you are completely innocent. It sometimes makes your stomach churn and your heart sink that little bit lower as you realise you're emotions and their evil schemes.

Zane never meant to kill his brother.

Sure, he was jealous of what Kai had, but he only liked the noises. The soft, nervous whimpers that Cole came out with, intriguing him more than it should've done. He didn't intend to cause Cole any harm, only copying what Kai had done in a more frantic manner, simply curious about how the sounds were caused. It confused him even more when he was scolded for his actions, not understanding why he couldn't touch his friend in that way, despite his intentions.

The same thought dawned him eerily, the nindroid swallowing the lump in his throat. Did Cole die from exhaustion? Mental instability? Whatever it was it was still a mystery, baring in mind that no one wanted to operate and touch their Teammate's corpse as it slowly paled to the colour of paper.

Sadly, the week afterwards, Jay had found Cole's diary, awkwardly hidden under the bedside table, a long with all his thoughts and suicidal hopes and dreams listed on tear stained pages.

Zane shook his head quickly, reality hitting him like a truck. He was still chopping carrots from this evening's dinner, the radio blaring out at the side of the kitchen. This song was making him feel uncomfortable. He didn't like the lyrics. He wanted to walk over and turn it off, but he had to focus on preparing the meal for his family. Minus one, of course.

 _Feel my pulse as I breathe_

 _At one hundred and three_

Zane licked his lips dryly as he tried to focus on the carrots, perplexed as to why the stupid lyrics were affecting him so much. Cole used to sometimes express himself musically, having playlist after playlist for any emotional crisis. Sometimes, when he was feeling down or antisocial, he would just lock himself in the bedroom and listen to the songs until he felt relieved. Zane took a mental note to take that method into consideration.

 _Oh Lord, Oh Lord…_

His brows narrowed sharply. He began to fidget slightly as the song continued, his feet shuffling on the spot anxiously as he glared down at the chopping board. Zane was certain that the others would act the same if they were in his situation, maybe not Lloyd, but definitely Jay or Kai. He sighed as the song quietened down, relaxing the robot's senses.

 _Dont you run from me… no, no, no, no_

 _Don't you run fro—_

Zane suddenly spun around and blasted the small radio with ice, knocking it onto the floor with a loud clatter. Unsurprisingly, the kitchen grew a lot cooler, the frosty element dusting the air like cold fog in the winter. The blond panted as his anger died down a bit, the music now silent. He sighed, returning to the carrots with shaky hands, he gripped the knife once more, chewing his lip irritably. Cole used to like helping him with meals; Zane knew that as a solid fact. And even if the Earth Master had been renown for his lack of cooking skills as a whole, it still brought Zane pleasure to be the main thing helping his brother improve.

Suddenly a thought came into his head, his jaw dropping slightly at the realisation. Yang. Yang would be able to find Cole's spirit. He might be reluctant at first, considering the team had ruined his plans on 'Closing the Circle', but maybe, just maybe, the guy would have some sympathy, even if they had to bribe their way to Cole.

"Zane!" Something grabbed hold of his wrist, pausing his chopping. "You're gonna slice your fingers off! The carrot's finished!" Zane blinked for a moment, before silently looking down with a small "oh'. Jay pursed his lips as his brother turned towards him, expression as blank as always. "Y-You okay? You kinda zoned out a bit-"

"I'm going to visit Sensei Yang." He stated, cocking his head a fraction as Jay furrowed his brows in confusion.

His voice quietened, and intrigued smirk playing on his lips. "You wanna find Cole… don't you?" Zane nodded firmly. "I wanna come with, just in case you can get him back."

"I am sorry, Jay, but I was planning on going alone. You know what Yang is like-"

"Cole was my best friend! He still is! Listen, I'm glad we left Skylar's early, because Nya has a headache, Kai's still paranoid about the light, and Lloyd just wants to sleep! We have time for both of us to go, Zane! This could be our only chance of seeing him again-"

"But… what do we do if he doesn't want to come back? What if he isn't comfortable in our household?"

Jay groaned as he ran his hands through his hair, not liking how Zane casually brought up the negatives of their plan. "I'll presuade him. I'll do anything to get him back, absolutely anything. I've owed him a lot over these past few the years. Everyone has."

* * *

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